Heretic studios Ditch lights install

[Mandalorian]

I just received the Heretic Studios ditch lights for the ford Bronco and am having trouble understanding the harness install. My Bronco has the AUX switches so I’m not sure how this connects. The video they have on YouTube doesn’t make any mention of connecting anything directly to the battery or there being a relay which this schematic implies you do. Just wanting to see if anyone else has done this install and can offer some guidance.

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[Boreal]

Their diagram shows you what to cut, which wire to tie into an Aux Swtich, what terminals to attach to the battery, what to plug into the light…

What part do you need help with, because Heretic have done a good job with their schematic…

Do you have the lights and harness? Are you making your own harness?

 

[Gluestick]

Wait wait. You don’t connect anything to the battery if you have aux switches. You cut that wire and route the right end to a ground and the other to the aux switch. Use a super long and flat zip tie with electrical tape to get wires back up through the windshield rubber easily.

I like their lights. Their schematics are helpful. For the price, the wiring should be bronco specific, and it’s not. Having already done their fog light kit and the lightbar, I was used to doing the wire harness cutting.

 

[Mandalorian]

Their diagram shows you what to cut, which wire to tie into an Aux Swtich, what terminals to attach to the battery, what to plug into the light…

What part do you need help with, because Heretic have done a good job with their schematic…

Do you have the lights and harness? Are you making your own harness?

I'm confused because the instructions it came with are different than the video they posted about how to do the install. For example when you have the factory AUX switches you shouldn’t need to connect directly to the battery. Ford already has that wired via the AUX switches.

 

[Mandalorian]

Wait wait. You don’t connect anything to the battery if you have aux switches. You cut that wire and route the right end to a ground and the other to the aux switch. Use a super long and flat zip tie with electrical tape to get wires back up through the windshield rubber easily.

I like their lights. Their schematics are helpful. For the price, the wiring should be bronco specific, and it’s not. Having already done their fog light kit and the lightbar, I was used to doing the wire harness cutting.

So the end on the schematic furthest to the right looks like some kind of relay. That I should just find somewhere to mount and it shouldn’t be a problem, correct?

 

[Boreal]

I'm confused because the instructions it came with are different than the video they posted about how to do the install. For example when you have the factory AUX switches you shouldn’t need to connect directly to the battery. Ford already has that wired via the AUX switches.

There are many ways to skin a cat, there are many ways to wire a light.

If your harness has a relay, then you’ll need to connect the positive ring terminal to the battery.

Does your harness appear like the one in the picture?

 

[Tonka Bronka]

I'm confused because the instructions it came with are different than the video they posted about how to do the install. For example when you have the factory AUX switches you shouldn’t need to connect directly to the battery. Ford already has that wired via the AUX switches.

This is not always true. My ARB Solis lights only use the aux switch power as a trigger and had two power leads from the battery. Clarify that you have the correct diagram for your lights and proceed.

 

[Mandalorian]

There are many ways to skin a cat, there are many ways to wire a light.

If your harness has a relay, then you’ll need to connect the positive ring terminal to the battery.

Does your harness appear like the one in the picture?

Yes the harness it came with is the same one as in the diagram.

 

[Boreal]

Yes the harness it came with is the same one as in the diagram.

Follow what the paper schematic says. Because it’s relayed, you can use any of the Pre Wired Aux Switches without worry.

 

[BeerRunner]

Ignore the individual who said don’t connect to your battery, you will want to keep that in line fuse after the battery connection. That and the relay is what prevents your bronco catching on fire and allows you to use the lower rated fused aux switches 3-6 without worry. Like the diagram shows you’re gonna cut the switch off wire the blue to your ox, and the black to ground to the body, there is a convent place for that next to the aux wires. Also do the connections with the in-line fuse removed..then when complete

 

[JBKO]

I just installed this same set yesterday. Follow the paper instructions. They are different from the video, but the paper tells you exactly what to do.

After you cut the line of the harness that runs to the switch that Heretic includes, you'll only connect the blue wire to the wire for the aux switch you want to use. After that, connect the ring terminals to the battery. The aux switch will be toggling the relay on and off, and since the switch is only controlling the relay, you'll be able to use whatever aux switch you want. (I used #6, for example.)

Pretty happy with how things turned out, but I may end up shortening the wires at some point. Nice to have extra wire sometimes, but I'm also not a fan of having 3 extra feet of wire just bundled up under the hood.

 

[Mandalorian]

I just installed this same set yesterday. Follow the paper instructions. They are different from the video, but the paper tells you exactly what to do.

After you cut the line of the harness that runs to the switch that Heretic includes, you'll only connect the blue wire to the wire for the aux switch you want to use. After that, connect the ring terminals to the battery. The aux switch will be toggling the relay on and off, and since the switch is only controlling the relay, you'll be able to use whatever aux switch you want. (I used #6, for example.)

Pretty happy with how things turned out, but I may end up shortening the wires at some point. Nice to have extra wire sometimes, but I'm also not a fan of having 3 extra feet of wire just bundled up under the hood.

Out of curiosity, what did you do with the relay. Did you mount it somewhere or just bunch it up with the extra wire and zip tie it out of the way?

 

[JBKO]

just bunch it up with the extra wire and zip tie it out of the way?

yup.

 

[Gluestick]

Well if you use the relay, you connect the blue wire to the upfitter switch, and do connect red to battery. But that wiring diagram is marked as the fogs diagram. I recall my wiring from Heretic didn't have a relay, and these are 2A Quattros and the upfitter switches are 5A or more, depending on which you pick.

I’ll go look at what I did when I get home.

 

[JBKO]

Yeah - I noticed that too when I first looked at the diagram. It's labeled as being used for wiring the fog lights using the ditch light harness. In the end, I decided there was no harm in keeping the relay, so I just went with it.

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